What state are the New England Patriots from? | Reference.com What state are the New England Patriots from? A: Quick Answer The New England Patriots are from the state of Massachusetts. The team plays all of their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Full Answer The team formed in 1959 and in 1960, the first head coach, Lou Saban, took his place with the team. Originally called the Boston Patriots, the team first played at Boston University Field and at Harvard University because they did not have a permanent home stadium. It was at Boston University Field that the Boston Patriots opened their first training camp on July 4, 1960. The team's first game, however, took place at Harvard University on August 14, 1960, where the team lost to the Dallas Texans. After the NFL and AFL merger in 1971, the Patriots took their place in the AFC East Division, and within a year, they had a new stadium in Foxborough called Foxboro Stadium. As they made the new stadium their home, they attempted to change their name to the Bay State Patriots. An overseeing NFL committee refused the name change, however.

On March 23, 1981, the team officially became known as the New England Patriots. In 2002, Gillette Stadium was built and opened and it became the new home field for the team. Harvard University Student-led Tours - New England Today Harvard University Student-led Tours Things to Do in Massachusetts About Us: The university allows public tours; you’ll get a candid glimpse at Ivy lore without having to fret over an application. It’s free and lasts an hour, focusing on Harvard Yard—the school’s oldest section and the hub for freshman dorms—and Widener Library, Harvard’s largest. Tours run Monday through Saturday. BEST FREE GUIDED TOUR. Website: New England travel guide - Wikitravel Understand[ edit ] Typical rural New England scene There's an expression in New England: "If you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes." The expression refers to New England's location on the upper eastern side of North America's continental climate. New England's coastal location does somewhat modify continental temperature extremes. Northern New England winters can especially harsh -- if you plan to visit between December and mid-March, be prepared for freezing temperatures, wicked winds, and chills that take a couple of cups of coffee to dent.

The best advice, though is to dress in layers that include an outer layer to block the wind, plus a sweater or jumper to be removed when exerting oneself. Generally, the only areas of New England that are somewhat comfortable in the winter are the southernmost areas of Connecticut and Rhode Island, which are the transition areas into the milder Middle Atlantic climate. These areas see snow and rain in winter, many more sunny days, and snow often melts quickly, especially in coastal areas. The months of April and May can be New England’s best-kept secret. In southern Vermont you will find off-season rates in many historic inns, but as noted local Robert Frost once so eloquently put it, "Nature's first Green is Gold." The area is bursting with daffodils, tulips & lilacs and the temperatures are mild with cool nights, just perfect. New England summers can range from mild and even cool at night in the northern mountain areas, to hot and tropical down in deep southern areas. The beach season runs from June through early October in Connecticut and Rhode Island, then decreases north along the coast to Maine.

Most of the upper New England coast (New Hampshire and Maine) has only a two month (mostly July and August) beach season, and ocean surf temperatures are much colder than points south of Cape Cod. Most warm weather tourist destinations have a season from mid-May to mid-October (mid April to late October in Connecticut and southern Rhode Island). Areas right along the shoreline are often cooler and more temperate than inland areas in summer. New England shines during autumn. New England foliage is world-renowned for displays that rival pyrotechnics for their intense colors, rapid appearance, and equally rapid disappearance. Peak season ranges from early September at the farthest north points of Maine to early November for Southern Connecticut. Combine that with local festivals, hay rides, fresh-pressed apple cider, and fruit harvesting, and you have the recipe for a wonderful time. As in upstate New York and along the upper Eastern Seaboard, many New England towns grew up around textile mills or other kinds of factories. When those industries relocated and/or shut down during the 1900s, several of those towns fell into a depression, where they remain. Talk[ edit ] English is, as with the rest of the US, the de facto official language.

Some areas with large Hispanic populations might have a majority speaking Spanish, but most have at least basic English skills (and these are off the tourist path). French is also spoken in Vermont and Northern Maine, near the Quebec/New Brunswick borders. There is a rich French-Canadian heritage in Biddeford, Maine, and Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city. Though the demographics are changing, it is still possible to find shops that cater to French speakers and churches that conduct Mass in French. In truth, though, not much is done to accommodate visitors who do not speak English. In the southern portions of New England like Connecticut and around Providence, there are large Hispanic populations, and in many areas of the cities Spanish is commonly spoken. Along with Southerners, New Englanders have a reputation for a distinct flavor of English speech. This is an overly broad generalization. The accents of Senators Kennedy and Kerry are rarely heard. The typical "pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd" Boston accent prevails in much of eastern Massachusetts , New Hampshire, Maine, and parts of Vermont. In most of Connecticut and parts of Rhode Island, the New England accent quickly loses it's ground, and most people seem to have no accent at all.

There are some distinctive vocabulary words. "Bubbler" refers to a drinking fountain. Carbonated sweet drinks called "pop" in other parts of the United States and Canada are called "tonic" or "soda" in most New England. "Wicked", an adverb interchangable with "very", is frequently used by young New Englanders in Massachusetts and New Hampshire , though the once-common phrase "wicked pissah", meaning "excellent", has faded considerably and is used primarily by either the older generation or misled tourists. A relatively common New England traffic intersection not encountered much elsewhere in the United States would be called a "roundabout" in the United Kingdom , but is called a "rotary" in New England. When given directions on how to exit a "rotary" the driver would be instructed to "bang a right" in Boston. Large clams are called "quahaugs" in New England.

In Maine an inland vacation home is called a "camp" while one on the coast is called a "cottage." Mainers also add the definite article "the" to the official names of roads, but not streets or avenues; and the tree that others might call an aspen is called a "popple" by Mainers. By car[ edit ] New England is served by several interstate highways. I-95 enters from the New York City area and links five of the six states together. I-90 and I-84 both come in from the west out of Albany and southern New York, respectively. I-91 links New Haven with Hartford, Springfield and eastern Vermont. I-89 connects Burlington, VT with Concord, NH. I-93 runs through New Hampshire, connecting St. Johnsbury, VT with Boston. Amtrak [12] operates several routes into New England, most notably the Northeast Corridor, which connects New York City to Boston via New Haven and Providence . As well, the Vermonter goes from New York City and Washington, D.C. to Connecticut , western Massachusetts and Vermont .

New York City 's Metropolitan Transit Authority's MetroNorth [13] trains run between Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan and New Haven , stopping in many Connecticut towns en route. The Amtrack DownEaster [14] offers fares from Boston up through southern Maine. By bus[ edit ] The Chinatown Bus [15] goes from New York to Boston for about $30 round trip. Greyhound [16] also offers slightly more expensive bus service to and from other areas of the country, as does Peter Pan [17] . From Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City buses serve western New England. Vermont Transit [18] offers service from Montréal . Boston 's South Station is a hub for bus travel to and from New York and to and from all other areas of New England. Get around[ edit ] It is possible to visit New England without an automobile. Doing so requires the visitor to study schedules very carefully, purchase tickets in advance when possible, limit visits to one or two destinations, and keep in mind that local public transportation operates infrequently, if at all, at night, on weekends, and during the middle of the day.

The visitor may also sign up for a group tour by bus or cruise ship. Bus tours and cruise ships visit all the major tourist destinations, if only to drive by with expert commentary by tour guides. Group tours do have the advantage of eliminating all worries about destinations, lodging, and meals, although they have inflexible schedules, offer virtually no opportunity to meet local people, and perhaps too much acquaintance with one's fellow passengers. By train[ edit ] Amtrak covers urban New England pretty extensively with the Northeast Corridor ( Boston - Rhode Island - Connecticut ), the Vermonter ( Connecticut to Vermont ), and the Downeaster ( Boston to Portland ). The Acela Express is a high-speed train that follows roughly the same route as the Northeast Corridor. Note that Boston has two train major stations, South Station and North Station. Trains from South Station serve areas to the south and west of the city, and North Station trains serve areas north of the city. All Amtrak trains to and from Boston , except the train to Portland are available at South Station, but not North Station. The train to Portland is available only at North Station. There is no direct connection between the two stations.

Those wishing to connect between the two stations must either take a taxi, or take two subway lines, or walk about 2 km/ 1.2 miles through busy city streets. Information and train schedules are available from Amtrak's [19] web site. Commuter rail and bus lines radiate out from New York City and Boston for a distance of about 50 km/30 miles. The MBTA [20] covers the greater Boston area with its commuter rail network, including Providence , Lowell , and Worcester . The MTA Metro North [21] provides very frequent and affordable service between New York City and New Haven ; at New Haven there are numerous connections to points north and east. Remember, though, that commuter service is infrequent outside of weekday morning and evening rush hours. By bus[ edit ] Greyhound [22] has several routes in New England. New Hampshire and Maine are served by Concord Coach Lines [23] . The primary intercity bus service in southern New England is Peter Pan Bus [24] . Their web site allows the user to determine the schedule of all buses serving two destinations in southern New England.

By ferry[ edit ] New England has many offshore islands that are attractive destinations reachable only by ferry. Typically, these islands are compact enough that the visitor does not require a car to visit them. Relatively flat coastal terrain and light traffic makes it easy to get around them by walking or bicycling. Taking a car on the ferry is expensive and usually requires reservations long in advance. In any case, many ferries are for passengers and bicycles only. By car[ edit ] Much of rural New England is under-served by bus/train, and driving is required to visit much of Vermont, New Hampshire, western Massachusetts, and Maine. See[ edit ][ add listing ] There are many historical sights in New England, including many colleges, universities, monuments and architecture. Yale University in New Haven and Harvard University and MIT in Cambridge, MA are destinations, offering a variety of interesting museums, as well as nonstop cultural activities. Harvard University offers several museums open to the public daily including the Harvard Museum of Natural History with its famed Glass Flowers, dinosaurs, and rare minerals, and the Peabody Museum with its fascinating Maya and Native American exhibits.

Throughout the region there are small college towns, such as: Kingston Rhode Island ; Storrs, Hamden, and Middletown Connecticut ; Amherst, Northampton, and Williamstown Massachusetts ; Burlington and Middlebury Vermont ; and Brunswick, Waterville, and Orono Maine ; that offer cultural diversions. The history of New England is re-enacted at several collections of historical buildings: Mashantucket Pequot Museum in Ledyard , Connecticut for Native American history; Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth , Massachusetts for early European settlement; Mystic Seaport in Mystic , Connecticut for maritime history; Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge , Massachusetts for early 19th century history; Shelburne Museum just south of Burlington , Vermont ; and Historic Deerfield in Deerfield Massachusetts as well as many other locations. New Hampshire offers colonial-era re-enactments and revitalized buildings at Strawberry Bank in Portsmouth and the Fort at No. 4 in Charlestown. Stop in some of the historical mill towns like Lowell, Massachusetts and Manchester, New Hampshire that have been revitalized. Also make sure you stop by Salem , Ma. see their rich Maritime history.

When you get there, remember its not all above board or even above ground for that matter. Many tunnels built by Elias Hasket Derby Jr. for a series of politicians, merchants, privateers, and pirates. In its small area New England packs a lot of natural beauty. Highlights would include: pastoral villages with white-steepled churches throughout rural New England; sandy beaches and moorlands along the southern coastal area of Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and adjacent islands ; the more rugged rocky coast and cliffs of Maine ; the nearly alpine scenery of Vermont , northern New Hampshire , and western Maine ; and dense forests everywhere. Do[ edit ][ add listing ] Skiing and summer mountain activities[ edit ] Ski or snowboard in the White Mountains of New Hampshire , the Green Mountains of Vermont and the mountains of western and central Maine . In southern New England, Connecticut and Massachusetts have small local ski areas with vertical slopes of less than 300 meters/1000 feet. There are many ski areas for everyone from beginners to advanced skiers/boarders. Many areas extend their seasons to year round by providing alpine slides and summertime activities. See the state articles for ski area listings.

New England skiing is unlike skiing in the western United States . Instead of open slopes above tree line, New England ski areas have relatively narrow trails carved through thick woodlands. New England's variable weather continues in winter. The skier or boarder may experience mild weather with temperatures above 10 Celsius/50 Fahrenheit or bitter cold with high winds delivering wind chill temperatures of -30 or less. Rain or snow may fall at any time. Rain often coats the snow with ice, and snow is often wet and sticky. The result of these conditions is that skiing and snowboarding in New England require attention to conditions. To deal with mild or dry conditions, all major New England ski areas make snow through the night and groom their slopes in the early morning. Traditional Summer Activities[ edit ] Beaches abound along New England's coastline from Connecticut to just south of Portland , Maine . Here vacationers may swim or simply soak up the sun. Swimmers may find the waters north of Cape Cod to be cold, especially in Maine . Inland, swimming is available in New England's thousands of lakes and ponds, and the water is usually warmer. Almost every New England town has at least one "swimming hole".

Swimming areas include those operated by the federal National Park Service in Cape Cod National Seashore and Acadia National Park , large state-owned beaches with parking for hundreds of cars, and local city or town beaches. In addition, local inquiries may reveal the locations of unmapped swimming areas, some quite scenic, along local streams or shorelines. New England also offers plenty of opportunity for boating whether it be in sheltered bays and harbors along 9,900 km/6,100 miles of coastline, or on inland lakes, ponds, and rivers. Local yacht clubs usually conduct sailboat races for many different classes. Offshore cruises are offered from coastal tourist towns. These cruises include "whale watch" boats, other nature cruises to observe shore birds, and sailing on traditional sailboats such as Maine's "windjammers". Those cruising out to sea north of Cape Cod should bring a jacket or sweater no matter how hot it may be on land. Inland, outfitters offer whitewater rafting on Maine 's rivers. Kayakers and canoers have plenty of opportunity to put their craft into local lakes, ponds, and rivers at state-owned boat launching areas.

Rentals are often available in larger waterfront towns. Be advised that many local areas ban jet skis and have "no wake" areas for motor boats. Bicycling is popular in New England. The large urban area stretching from Boston to Hartford and into the New York City area are densely populated with lots of automobile traffic, so cyclists often take advantage of the area's "rail-trails", which are paved sections of abandoned railroad track dedicated to bicyclists and pedestrians. Information on rail-trails, such as the East Coast Greenway [25] , is available from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy [26] . In northern New England there is less traffic on the roads, but you'll find more mountainous terrain compared with the rolling hills of southern New England. Many of New England's state parks have trails for mountain biking. These trails follow old dirt roads. Mountain biking on hiking trails is usually prohibited. Both Cape Cod National Seashore and Acadia National Park offer ample opportunity for bicycling along scenic routes free of motor vehicle traffic. Biking opportunities abound on New England's many offshore island destinations where roads are usually flat and cooled by sea breezes. Most major tourist destinations have shops that rent bicycles.

Here are some itineraries: Bicycle Boston to Provincetown through Cape Cod, returning via ferry [27] Bicycle Boston to Portland, returning via train [28] Huge selection of routes in easy to find interactive maps [29] Hiking is popular in New England. There are long distance hiking trails in the region, including the Appalachian Trail , which courses through all of the New England states except Rhode Island to its terminus on Mount Katahdin in Maine, and the Long Trail, which traverses Vermont from Massachusetts to Quebec . Although there are hundreds of miles of hiking trails in the region's state and federal parks, bear in mind that most hiking trails do cross private property, and the owner's rights are to be respected. Most of New England's mountains are thickly forested, but there are extensive areas above the tree line in Vermont and especially New Hampshire and Maine . On these mountains climate conditions are similar to those in Labrador far to the north, and the lack of trees affords wonderful long distance views. The Appalachian Mountain Club [30] (AMC) has its headquarters in Boston and local chapters throughout the region. AMC operates campgrounds and lodges throughout the region, most of which are reachable only by hiking.

New England's trails are generally maintained by volunteers organized by AMC's chapters or other organizations such as the Green Mountain Club [31] or the Connecticut Forest and Park Association [32] . These organizations offer detailed maps and other hiking information. Here are some hiking ideas: Best 165 Hikes with Kids in New England [33] Day Hikes Near Boston [34] LGBT tourism[ edit ] New England is home to some of America's oldest LGBT resorts; the most famous are Provincetown and Ogunquit . Gays from large cities like New York City , Philadelphia , and Washington, D.C. vacation in New England to enjoy the region's largely tolerant, accepting culture. With the recent passage of same-sex marriage laws in Connecticut , New Hampshire , Massachusetts , Vermont , and Maine , the region's scenic beauty makes it a popular wedding destination for straight and gay couples alike. Boston and Providence are known for its lively LGBT nightlife; elsewhere options are pretty sparse. Gay-owned guesthouses are, however, fairly common. Eat[ edit ][ add listing ] New England's cities and tourist areas have a wide variety of excellent restaurants.

A few famous items of local cuisine include New Haven's pizza, Vermont's maple syrup, Southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island's Portuguese cuisine, and Maine's lobster and blueberries. Everywhere along New England's coast there are local restaurants offering fresh seafood, fried clams, and clam chowder. It can be kitschy, but there is a certain pleasure in spending a summer afternoon at a New England seaside restaurant eating seafood and watching boats come and go in the local harbor. A special local treat is to attend a clam or "lobsta" "bake" or "shore dinner" at a coastal location. These venues typically serve only a complete clam or lobster dinner at a fixed time that includes all the ingredients of a traditional New England clam or lobster bake, including, of course, steamed clams or lobster, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, baked beans, and traditional desserts. Sometimes steak or hamburger is offered to those who will not eat lobster or clams. Enquire locally in seaside communities for locations and times. Some of New England's smaller towns have old restored taverns which in the 18th and 19th centuries provided lodging and food for weary travellers.

Most of these restored taverns no longer offer lodging, but offer meals featuring typical "New England fare" such as pot roast and a variety of steaks and poultry. Many of these restaurants also offer seafood. Drink[ edit ][ add listing ] Boston is known for its drinking establishments known locally as bars or taverns or pubs, including the Cheers bar of TV fame. (See the section in the Boston article.) New Haven is home to hundreds of bars and restaurants, and has a thriving scene including the Playwright, the largest Irish Pub on the East Coast, a huge space holding two thousand people built out of church parts salvaged from Ireland . In addition, several other cities in the region have an active nightlife. Microbreweries and wineries are also located throughout the region, and many can be visited by travellers. Be aware that New England states have strict laws on driving while under the influence of alcohol. Some New England police departments enforce these laws by stopping traffic near popular bars and interviewing drivers, or by stationing unmarked police cars in or near the parking lots of popular establishments. Types of stores that sell alcohol for off-premises consumption vary from state to state.

Generally, wine and beer may be purchased in groceries and convenience stores but harder liquors may only be available from retail liquor stores known locally as "package stores" or "packies". While former "Blue Laws" prohibited the sale of alcohol on Sundays in Massachusetts and Connecticut, many those laws have since been repealed. However, some cities and towns remain "dry" or do not allow for the sale of alcohol. Other New England states have slowly repealed such alcohol sales bans, but be aware of this odd tradition. Stay safe[ edit ] New England is one of the safest regions of the country overall, but it is no stranger to crime. All of the region's towns and cities, regardless of their size, have areas that should be travelled with caution at night. Larger cities are the best-known for crime because of media publicity but most crimes in big cities occur among friends and acquaintances. Random acts of violence can happen anywhere, even in smaller towns. It is also quite a safe region for hitchhiking. Furthermore, as with other areas of the country, take care while driving. You are 200 times more likely to be injured or killed in a car accident than in any random act of violence.

Particular areas to use caution are small, winding roads away from major interstates where cars can travel erratically and at high speeds. Hikers leaving an automobile at trail heads in remote areas should take care not to leave valuables in the vehicle. As in the rest of the USA, 911 can be dialled for emergencies, even from pay-phones. Dangerous animals are hardly a concern in New England. During May and early June hikers may want to avoid thick woodlands in northern New England or risk being plagued by hordes of tiny black flies. The best time for hiking is September and October when cold nights have suppressed insect activity. That said, however, there are many trails with locations exposed to wind and sunshine and minimal contact with biting and stinging insects. There are rare encounters with poisonous snakes in southern and western parts of New England, but hardly any deaths. These snakes are so rare that they are considered endangered and it may be against the law to kill them. The hiker will encounter no poisonous snakes in Maine or northern New Hampshire . The most dangerous animal likely to be encountered by a hiker in New England is the deer tick, a tiny creature no more than about 2 mm in diameter.

Deer ticks carry Lyme Disease, which can engender severe medical symptoms in the victim. The best defense against the deer tick is to use insecticides and wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Wild turkeys, bears, and coyotes abound in New England but almost always avoid humans. Moose can be dangerous to motorists speeding along dark roads in northern New England. These animals are large and their massive bodies will go right through the windshield when struck by a smaller automobile. The best defense is to drive slowly through moose crossing areas and watch carefully for moose stepping into the road. Get out[ edit ] Travellers continuing to Canada may take Interstate 89 North from Burlington , Vermont to Montreal or Maine state highway 9 East from Bangor , Maine to the Atlantic Provinces of Canada. The Cat Ferry [35] that sailed from Bar Harbor or Portland , Maine to Yarmouth , Nova Scotia ceased operation December 9, 2009. This is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow !

Where is Harvard University Located? Major cities nearby: Boston (3.5 mi), Salem (19 mi) Clouds Over Cambridge, Massachusetts. Todd Van Hoosear / Flickr Cambridge Weather and Climate 40 inches of precipitation annually Warm summers (average high temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit) Cold, snowy winters (average high temperature of 36 degrees Fahrenheit) "Nor'easters" occur regularly during winter months The MBTA Red Line in Cambridge, Massachusetts. William F. Yurasko / Flickr Transportation Served by the MBTA, the Massachusetts Bus and Transportation Authority Easy access to public transit around Cambridge and to and from Boston Several bike paths Very pedestrian; of large U.S. communities, Cambridge has the highest percentage of commuters who walk to work Harvard University Museum of Natural History.

Allie_Caulfield / Flickr What to See Museums: Harvard Art Museums, Harvard Museum of Natural History, MIT Museum, Museum of Science, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University Historical Sites: Cambridge Common, Cambridge Historical Society, Cooper-Frost-Austin House, Entrepreneur Walk of Fame, Longfellow House, Memorial Hall, Mount Auburn Cemetery Arts: Cambridge Art Association, Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Multicultural Arts Center, Out of the Blue Gallery Entertainment: American Repertory Theater, Harvard Film Archive, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, ImprovBoston, Jose Mateo's Ballet Theatre, Ryles Jazz Club Sports: Boston Bruins (hockey), Boston Red Sox (baseball), Boston Celtics (basketball), Boston Breakers (soccer), Boston Blazers (lacrosse) Bookstores: Barefoot Books, Center for New Words, Harvard Bookstore, Lorem Ipsum, McIntyre and Moore, Porter Square Books The Cambridge Skyline. Shinkuken / Wikimedia Commons Did You Know?

Cambridge is commonly known as "Boston's Left Bank" The first legal same-sex marriage licenses in the United States were issued at Cambridge City Hall Harvard University is the top employer in the city (followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) At least 129 Nobel Prize winners (of 780 total) have been affiliated at some point with one of Cambridge's universities Cambridge is the birthplace of the world's longest reigning monarch, Thai king Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) Founded in 1636, Cambridge's Harvard College, one of two schools within Harvard University, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the country A resident of Cambridge is known as a "Cantabrigian" Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Justin Jensen / Flickr Other Major Colleges and Universities Near Harvard Historical Facts | Harvard University Harvard University Social Media and Newsletters The Harvard University Archives are maintained by the Harvard University Library system and are a great resource to access Harvard’s historical records. Harvard is perhaps best-known because of its enduring history of innovation in education. But even die-hard Harvard buffs are not likely to know all of these Harvard firsts and historical snippets.

Year Description 1607 John Harvard, the College’s future namesake and first benefactor, was baptized at St. Saviour’s Church (now Southwark Cathedral), London. 1635 John Harvard received his M.A. from Cambridge University, England. 1636 First College in American colonies founded. The “Great and General Court of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England” approves £400 for the establishment of “a schoale or colledge” later to be called “Harvard.” 1637 The Great and General Court orders the “colledge” established one year earlier to be located at Newetowne (renamed “Cambrige” in 1638). Late 1637 or early 1638 The Overseers purchased the College’s first piece of real estate: a house and an acre of land from Goodman Peyntree. Located on the southern edge of “Cow-yard Row” and soon distinguished as the “College Yard,” this tract became the nucleus of present-day Harvard Yard and remains at the southern end of the Old Yard (the area west of Thayer, University, and Weld halls).

1638 John Harvard wills his library (400 books) and half his estate to the College. 1639 In recognition of John Harvard’s bequest, the Great and General Court orders “that the colledge agreed upon formerly to bee built at Cambridg shalbee called Harvard Colledge.” 1640 Reverend Henry Dunster is appointed first president of Harvard. 1642 First Harvard Commencement with nine graduates. 1649 The Town of Cambridge and President Henry Dunster give Harvard the “College Farm” at Billerica, Mass., which paid annual rent to the College until the farm was sold in 1775. 1650 Harvard granted Charter, still in effect today (with 2010 amendments). 1653 John Sassamon, a Massachuset Indian, became the first known Native American to study at Harvard (probably for a term or so). A disciple of Indian Bible translator John Eliot, Sassamon later became a scribe and interpreter to Wampanoag Chief Metacom (a.k.a. Metacomet, Pometacom, King Philip).

In 1675, Sassamon was murdered as an English informant, touching off King Philip’s War, New England’s most devastating conflict between Natives and newcomers. 1692 Increase Mather awarded Harvard's first Doctor of Divinity degree. 1755 John Adams, future U.S. president, graduates. 1764 Original Harvard Hall burns, destroying some 5,000 volumes and all but one of John Harvard's books. 1775 Continental soldiers are quartered in Harvard buildings. 1776 Eight Harvard alumni sign the Declaration of Independence. 1780 The Massachusetts Constitution went into effect and officially recognized Harvard as a university. The first medical instruction given to Harvard students in 1781 and the founding of the Medical School in 1782 made it a university in fact as well as name. 1781 Oldest continuous chapter of Phi Beta Kappa formed at Harvard. 1782 Twenty-nine-year-old John Warren was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at the Medical School . During the previous year while head of the army hospital in Boston, he had given Harvard students their first formal medical instruction.

Benjamin Waterhouse was named to a second Medical School professorship, in the “Theory and Practice of Physic.” 1783 With high ceremony, Harvard Medical School officially opened as the “Medical Institution of Harvard University.” Its first home was the ever-versatile Holden Chapel. 1787 John Quincy Adams, future U.S. president, graduates. 1791 A writer in the Boston press accused Harvard of poisoning students’ minds with Edward Gibbon’s monumental History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-88). President Joseph Willard replied that far from even considering Gibbon, the College used a text by French historian Abbé Millot. Nathaniel Ames, who left Harvard around 1812, recalled Millot’s as “the most utterly worthless and contemptible work of that kind or any other extant.” 1810 John Thornton Kirkland begins 18-year presidency. 1815 Rutherford B. Hayes, future U.S. president, graduates from the Law School . 1846 John Collins Warren, Medical School professor, conducts first public demonstration of ether as surgical anesthetic.

1848 Louis Agassiz appointed professor of zoology and geography. 1849 Dr. George Parkman disappeared at the Medical School in one of the most famous murder cases in Harvard history. Earlier, Parkman had lent money to colleague Dr. John White Webster. To secure the loan, Webster gave Parkman a mortgage on his personal property, including a valuable collection of minerals. When Parkman learned that Webster had backed another loan with the same collection, he began relentlessly pursuing Webster to collect the debt. A week after the disappearance, a suspicious janitor broke through a brick vault below Webster’s lab and found human body parts, which the authorities soon discovered all around the lab. Found guilty of first-degree murder, Webster belatedly confessed and appealed for clemency, but was hanged on Aug. 30, 1850. Parkman’s widow led a fund drive to support Webster’s wife and children. 1852 Harvard wins first intercollegiate sports event, a boat race against Yale on Lake Winnipesaukee. 1854 Henry David Thoreau '37 publishes Walden. 1855 Holworthy Hall gets first gas lights in the Yard.

1862 The Overseers confirmed the Rev. Thomas Hill, Class of 1843, as Harvard’s 20th President. His brief tenure brought higher admissions standards, a series of public “University Lectures” (est. 1863) by distinguished Harvard and non-Harvard scholars that paved the way for the “ Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ” and University Extension, and progress toward a system of elective courses. Hill also conducted nationwide searches for new faculty appointees. 1865 Election of Overseers placed in the hands of alumni, severing legal ties with the Commonwealth. 1867 The Harvard Dental School made its first appointments: Daniel Harwood, professor of dental pathology and therapeutics; and Nathan Cooley Keep, professor of mechanical dentistry. 1869 At the meetinghouse of First Church, Unitarian, Charles William Eliot was formally installed as Harvard’s 21st President. From the outset, Eliot’s 105-minute address delineated his broad educational purposes: “The endless controversies whether language, philosophy, mathematics, or science supplies the best mental training, whether general education should be chiefly literary or chiefly scientific, have no practical lesson for us to-day.

This University recognizes no real antagonism between literature and science, and consents to no such narrow alternatives as mathematics or classics, science or metaphysics. We would have them all, and at their best.” 1870 The Rev. Phillips Brooks laid the cornerstone of Memorial Hall . 1872 Arnold Arboretum is established. 1873 Charles Sprague Sargent officially began a 54-year term as first director of the Arnold Arboretum (est. 1872). Sargent soon enlisted the aid of pioneering landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted – then busy designing the Boston park system – to help him lay out the grounds. “Olmsted immediately grasped the idea that an arboretum where the public could see varied plantations of rare and exotic trees and shrubs skilfully [sic] selected, artistically arranged, and grown under scientific oversight, would not only be an appropriate feature in the park system [now known as Boston’s “Emerald Necklace”] but might well become its culminating attraction,” Benjamin Lincoln Robinson, the Asa Gray Professor of Systematic Botany, wrote in the late 1920s.

Nonetheless, the Arboretum proved a hard sell, Robinson noted. “Neither the City [of Boston] nor the Harvard Corporation welcomed the idea. The press was indifferent, and the public apathetic. Nine years of persistent effort were required before it was possible to draft a plan of procedure acceptable both to the City and to the University and to secure its approval by the General Court of Massachusetts.” 1874 Department of Fine Arts is established. 1875 New Haven, Conn., hosted the first Harvard-Yale football game , which Harvard won, to the delight of some 150 student boosters from Cambridge. 1879 The Harvard Annex, later known as Radcliffe College , opens with 27 female students. 1880 Theodore Roosevelt makes Phi Beta Kappa. 1886 250th anniversary celebrated with more than 2,500 alumni and friends with President Grover Cleveland in attendance. 1890 Land given by Major Henry Lee Higginson '55 dedicated as Soldiers Field, honoring alumni who died in the Civil War. 1894 First course offered in landscape architecture and city planning. 1903 Franklin D.

Roosevelt elected president of the Harvard Crimson 1903 Country's first concrete football stadium is built. 1904 FDR graduates. 1908 With 59 students, the Graduate School of Business Administration formally opened as a Graduate Department of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Through this initial connection to established departments, President Eliot and Dean Edwin Francis Gay hoped to get the newcomer off to a well-supported start. Other U.S. universities began offering business training as early as 1886, but the course of study was overwhelmingly undergraduate. In seeking to establish business as a profession, Harvard Business School became the country’s first business program limited to college graduates. By the end of the first academic year, the School had 80 students (regular and special) from 14 colleges and 12 states. 1909 Abbott Lawrence Lowell begins his 24-year presidency. 1910 President Lowell establishes Commission on Extension Courses, now the Harvard Extension School . 1910 Theodore Roosevelt, Class of 1880, served as the 34th president of the Harvard Alumni Association (est. 1840).

1913 The College Library contained about 1,127,500 volumes. 1920 The Business School issued Marketing Problems, its first case book, developed by Marketing Professor Melvin Thomas Copeland. 1920 Graduate School of Education is established. 1924 The Harvard-Boston (Egyptian) Expedition began excavation of the royal cemetery of King Cheops (Khufu) near the Great Pyramid and soon identified the tombs of Prince Kawa’ab (Cheops’s eldest son), four other princes, Princess Meresankh II, and two pyramid priests. 1926 Samuel Eliot Morison is appointed official historian for Tercentenary. 1928 First "iron lung" is devised by two doctors at the School of Public Health . 1930 The House Plan is established with the opening of Dunster House and Lowell House. 1933 James Bryant Conant begins his 20-year presidency. 1936 Harvard's Tercentenary Celebration with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in attendance. 1936 Graduate School of Public Administration is established.

1939 Walter Gropius, founder of Bauhaus, becomes head of architecture at Graduate School of Design . 1940 John F. Kennedy graduates. 1943 Two hundred Army Quartermaster officers arrived at the Business School for a three-month intensive course in business methods. They formed a new unit of lieutenants and captains known as the Army Supply Officers’ Training School, a counterpart to the Navy Supply Corps School. 1943 The Harvard Alumni Bulletin tally of Harvard men in active military service equaled “the mythical 10,000 men of Harvard.” Seventy-eight Harvard men had been killed in the line of duty, 20 were missing in action, and another 20 were prisoners of war. 1944 IBM Mark I computer begins operation at Harvard. 1945 Publication of President Conant's General Education in a Free Society; its recommendation will have wide influence. 1945 At the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, Calif., the 10,800-ton SS Harvard Victory was launched as the first of a new series of U.S. Maritime Commission ships named after U.S. educational institutions.

The Harvard Corporation later voted to give the ship a library of about 140 volumes selected by the American Merchant Marine Library Association. A simple plaque acknowledged the University’s gift. 1947 General George C. Marshall receives honorary degree: announces "Marshall Plan" at commencement. 1953 Nathan M. Pusey begins his 18-year presidency. 1955 Helen Keller is the first woman to receive Harvard honorary degree. 1956 Pusey announces major fund drive, the Program for Harvard College. 1956 Memorial Hall tower burns down. 1959 Fidel Castro is guest of Law School Forum. 1960 Mary I. Bunting establishes Radcliffe Institute for Independent Study . 1960 New cholera vaccine developed at Harvard Medical School . 1997 Mary Fasano became the oldest person ever to earn a Harvard degree when she graduated from the Extension School at the age of 89. 1998 Nelson Mandela awarded honorary degree at special convocation. 1999 Radcliffe College merges with Harvard College. 2001 Lawrence Summers is appointed president.

2001 On the eve of the 350th Commencement, Harvard’s four living Presidents—past, present, and future—gather for a group portrait in Loeb House. 2002 Former Astronomy Prof. Riccardo Giacconi shares half the Nobel Prize in Physics for pioneering work in astrophysics that led to the discovery of cosmic X-ray sources. 2004 Harvard Financial Aid Initiative is launched. 2007 School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is established. 2007 Drew Gilpin Faust begins duties as Harvard’s 28th President . She is the first woman to hold the position. 2009 Unified University-wide calendar is launched. 2010 The Harvard Corporation expands from 7 to 13 members. 2010 Harvard University will welcome ROTC back to campus now that Congress has repealed a ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military. 2011 Harvard University awards degree to Native American student who died in 1665 just before Commencement. 2011 Harvard celebrates its 375th anniversary . 2012 MIT and Harvard announce EdX.

2012 Harvard announces plans to renew the University's 12 undergraduate houses. 2012 Harvard releases first University-wide Sustainability Impact Report. 2013

Question: In which 'New England' state is Harvard University situated?
Answer: MASSACHUSETTS